Victorians back Lowy on revamp

Victorian soccer chiefs yesterday backed Australian Soccer Association boss Frank Lowy's plans for the biggest shake-up in the sport's history - and urged the game's rulers to reform the national league and renegotiate television contracts to ensure the sport got free-to-air coverage.

The $15 million program - underwritten by Federal Government grants and soft loans - will put the debt-laden Soccer Australia into mothballs, with a new entity (the ASA) established in its place and, as Lowy put it, enabling the game to be given the chance to make a clean start.

Among the ASA's priorities will be a revamp of the sport's constitution, reducing the influence of state federations and giving many more of those involved in the game a say.

Another initiative will be the restructuring of the national league.

Manny Galanos, chairman of the Victorian Soccer Federation, said yesterday that Victorian officials would be seeking discussions with the ASA hierarchy this week about the detail of the revolutionary program, but he could see little to quibble with.

"There were no surprises for us and we understand what they are going to do," Galanos said. "We are supportive of these changes and we do not have anything to fear. Make no mistake, these changes will get over the line one way or another."

The VSF had been one of the groups that had initially held out against the Lowy teams assumption of power. It backed the reform package when, Galanos said at the time, it had been given assurances that it could manage changes to its own administration rather than have them imposed from outside.

Lowy has made it clear that he and his team are seeking changes to the way the stakeholders in the ASA organised themselves, saying the association would recognise one controlling entity per state and member bodies would be asked to adopt consistent constitutions Australia-wide, with new state members confirmed by December 31.

These changes will get over the line one way or another.MANNY GALANOS, Victorian soccer chief

Galanos was confident the association would approve the changes the VSF was planning to implement at its annual meeting in December. It is believed Victoria's peak body will amend the voting rights of the state's two NSL clubs and its Premier League clubs, giving some say to representatives of junior players, women, country affiliates and provisional league clubs.

Galanos wants the ASA to apportion representation on the one-state one-vote model rather than one based on the number of players each state contains.

"We would be supportive of the former, but we would not want to weigh votes based on the number of players registered in each state. I would not want to see the number of registrations becoming a political issue within the game."

Galanos backed reformation of the national league sooner rather than later - if the structure was right and television and media deals were in place to underpin its relaunch.

Peter Mitrakis, the president of one of Victoria's two national league teams, South Melbourne, said the key issues were funding and broadcasting.

"Companies are reluctant to put up their hands to finance clubs unless they are confident they will get broad exposure through the media, particularly on television," Mitrakis said.

"We are very supportive of the reform process, but we want to be kept informed of what it's all about. We want advice, and assistance. South Melbourne definitely wants to be part of the future of the game in this country."

In one pre-emptive strike, Lowy and his new team disarmed any lingering voices of criticism. There is no other soccer identity who could have harnessed the support of all state and territory governments and the Federal Government, and Lowy's coup de grace is winning the support of the game's world governing body FIFA.

FIFA's approval of the ASA as the sport's peak body means that it has recognition where it counts, while his program has the backing of the Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian Sports Commission.